Laos vs United Kingdom
United Kingdom and Laos are almost exactly the same size.
LaosUnited KingdomLaos moved onto United Kingdom · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Laos is 0.98× the area of United Kingdom. Put the other way, United Kingdom is 1.02× the size of Laos.
 Laos |  United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 236,800 km²#82 of 194 | 242,495 km²#78 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited Kingdom: 8.83× the population | 7,873,046#103 of 194 · 2025 | 69,487,000#22 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited Kingdom: 8.62× the density | 33 / km²#146 of 194 | 287 / km²#31 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited Kingdom: 2.07× the urban share | 40%#149 of 192 · 2025 | 83%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLaos: 1.55× the births per woman | 2.40 per woman#77 of 192 · 2024 | 1.55 per woman#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLaos: 1.02 points higher | +1.32%#74 of 192 · 2025 | +0.30%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLaos: 2.11× the birth rate | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited Kingdom: 1.56× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Laos: 12.8 points higher | 29.8%#70 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United Kingdom: 14.9 points higher | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 | 19.7%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited Kingdom: 7.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.4 per 1,000#126 of 192 · 2025 | +5.6 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLaos: 82× the refugees for its size | 0.82 per 1,000#64 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited Kingdom: 12.2 years longer | 69.2 years#136 of 192 · 2024 | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLaos: 6.63× the infant mortality | 27.2 per 1,000 births#53 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited Kingdom: 10.0× the doctors per person | 0.33 per 1,000#135 of 178 · 2022 | 3.30 per 1,000#53 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentUnited Kingdom: 5.4× the university enrolment | 14.9%#122 of 145 · 2023 | 80.4%#24 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexUnited Kingdom: 0.329 higher | 0.617#144 of 190 · 2023 | 0.946#12 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited Kingdom: 25.4× the income per person | $2,150#147 of 185 · 2025 | $54,550#19 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited Kingdom: 219× the economy | $18.3B2025 | $4T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United Kingdom: 6.22× the output per person | $10,383#125 of 184 · 2025 | $64,606#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLaos: 3.1 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +1.4%#145 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLaos: 3.8 points higher | +7.7%#31 of 176 · 2025 | +3.9%#60 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentUnited Kingdom: 3.92× the unemployment | 1.2%#171 of 178 · 2025 | 4.7%#101 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLaos: 17.7× the share in extreme poverty | 7.1%#49 of 149 · 2024 | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Laos: 2.3 higher | 34.7#73 of 149 · 2024 | 32.4#99 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureLaos: 67.7 points higher | 68.6% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited Kingdom: 8.5 points higher | 7.4% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited Kingdom: 59.2 points higher | 24.0% of jobs#171 of 178 · 2025 | 83.2% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLaos: 6.8 points higher | 7.7% of GDP#23 of 184 · 2025 | 0.9% of GDP#136 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 30.6% of GDP#101 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 2.4% of GDP#45 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited Kingdom: 1.46× the share online | 66%#128 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#25 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited Kingdom: 1.88× the mobile subscriptions | 65 per 100#167 of 191 · 2023 | 122 per 100#76 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaLaos: 4.19× the forest share | 57% of land#36 of 192 · 2024 | 14% of land#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited Kingdom: 1.26× the CO₂ per person | 3.35 t a year#79 of 185 · 2024 | 4.22 t a year#57 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLaos: 37.0 points higher | 49.2%#50 of 190 · 2022 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited Kingdom: 3.5 points higher | 96.5%#124 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Laos: 2.74× the air pollution | 26.0 µg/m³#61 of 191 · 2023 | 9.5 µg/m³#157 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUnited Kingdom: 9.6 points higher | 18.8% of land#88 of 191 · 2025 | 28.4% of land#41 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited Kingdom: 20.0 points higher | 5.3% of land#127 of 190 · 2024 | 25.3% of land#38 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited Kingdom: 3.0× the water stress | 4.8%#120 of 176 · 2022 | 14.4%#75 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLaos: 1.5× the rain and snow | 1,834 mm#38 of 180 · 2022 | 1,220 mm#73 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLaos: 0.26 higher | +0.55#65 of 193 · 2025 | +0.29#80 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited Kingdom: 2.52 higher | −0.99#155 of 193 · 2025 | +1.53#17 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statecommunist party-led state | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Member of | ASEAN | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Vientiane | London |
| Currency | Lao kip (LAK) | Pound sterling (GBP) |
| Official languages | Lao | English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Scots, British Sign Language, Ulster Scots |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC, summer time UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +856 | +44 |
| Region | South-Eastern Asia, Asia | Northern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Laos sits at about 18° N and is stretched to 1.11× its true area; United Kingdom at 54° N is stretched to 2.9×. That difference is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it is next to Laos. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Laos bigger than United Kingdom?
- No. Laos and United Kingdom are almost exactly the same size. Laos covers 236,800 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,495 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into United Kingdom?
- About 1.0 times: United Kingdom has 1.02× the area of Laos.
- Why do Laos and United Kingdom look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Laos is drawn about 1.11× its true area there and United Kingdom about 2.9×. That is why United Kingdom looks so much bigger than it really is next to Laos. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Laos or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², United Kingdom 287 per km².
- Which is richer, Laos or United Kingdom?
- By gross national income per person, United Kingdom: $54,550 against $2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 25.4× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Laos or United Kingdom?
- In United Kingdom: life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years, against 69.2 — 12.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Laos and United Kingdom have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Laos: one-party state; United Kingdom: constitutional monarchy.